Huskie Stadium was brought back to life this weekend.

Tailgaters returned to the west side of the field, the loudspeakers were turned back on and the NIU football team graced Brigham Field in front of fans for the first time since November.

It has been a long winter, but finally, football has been awakened from its hibernation in the form of the spring game.

But isn’t all the emphasis and attention on the annual event overkill?

The game is nothing more than an open scrimmage. Plus key players, who will see daily action in fall practices, were not even featured in the spring workout.

Seniors Garrett Wolfe and Jake Nordin didn’t leave the sidelines due to various ailments. NIU’s top returning receiver, Britt Davis, also remained off the field because of health concerns.

Arguably the most interesting story going into the spring game, the battle between Phil Horvath and Dan Nicholson for the role as starting quarterback, was cut short due to Horvath’s sprained ankle.

And even if the 1,807 fans who watched the game got to see a full lineup, I doubt the game would have even come close to the intensity of a heads-up poker match.

That lack of intensity is because it’s the spring game. The contest is similar to spring training for baseball — it means nothing.

And how can the spirit of competition attend the game when the defense can’t return interceptions for points. Thus, making it nearly impossible for the red defense to win with safeties being the only means to score.

There’s no passion in the spring game that fuels the event like the “real deal” games.

The contest is a chance for veterans to get a few reps in front of the fans, and then give the young players a chance to show the coaches what they can do.

But I guess the point of the event is not to create the “real deal” atmosphere that surrounds other spring games like at Oklahoma or Notre Dame. The Huskies will have a whole season in the fall to show what they really can do instead of one day in the spring.